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Monash University Foundation Year
MUF0011 ENGLISH UNIT 1 SAMPLE
Reading and noting time: 15 minutes | Writing time: 90 minutes

ESSAY QUESTION & READING MATERIALS BOOKLET

Structure of Examination
Section Section requirement(s) Number of marks
A Planning 5
B Argumentative Essay 25
Total 30

Instructions
This booklet contains the essay question and all of your reading materials.
You may highlight and annotate in this booklet. However, complete your planning and final essay in the
Answer Booklet.

Materials allowed:
• Approved English-to-English dictionaries are permitted during the 15 minute reading and noting time
and during the 90 minute writing time.
 ESSAY QUESTION

‘Are there benefits of standardised testing in education?’

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 READING MATERIALS

WORDS THAT ARE UNDERLINED IN THE TEXTS APPEAR IN THE GLOSSARY BELOW EACH TEXT

Text 1
Time and place for standardised testing.

Colleen Ricci (2014)

What is standardised testing?

Examinations in which all students take the same test under equal conditions, and where results are scored
and interpreted in the same way, are known as standardised tests. They take a variety of forms, including
multiple-choice, true/false, short-answer or essay questions and are often time limited.

Although teachers still play a role in the evaluation of these tests, particularly with essay questions, most
are now scored by computer, which is considered more accurate and cost-effective.

The results of standardised tests have many potential uses; for example, checking student progress,
evaluating schools and teachers, or providing statistics that signal where a country is heading in
educational terms. Some standardised tests are considered of great importance because the results
determine future outcomes; for example, a scholarship, a licence to practise a profession, or admission to
university. Less important tests may be used to measure academic achievement or identify learning
difficulties, but typically carry no significant consequences for the student.

Standardised testing continues to be used in many countries, including China, England and Germany,
providing opportunities to compare educational standards on a national scale. For example, in the US
standardised tests such as the ACT (American College Testing) and the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test)
are commonly used to determine entry to higher education.

According to supporters, standardised testing serves a variety of purposes that include evaluating student
progress, identifying strengths and weaknesses and detecting learning problems. Because all students take
the same tests, many consider them to be a fair and objective way to provide ''consistent'' results from
which reliable comparisons may be drawn.

Information collected from national standardised testing is considered useful in keeping public schools
accountable to the taxpayers who fund them, in allowing comparisons between schools to be made, and in
identifying ways that schools may be improved. Supporters of standardised testing claim that most
students, parents and teachers approve of the method, believing it to be the fairest way to evaluate
students at relatively low cost. They argue that most objections to standardised testing come not from the
tests themselves, but from how the data is used.

Critics say ''one-size-fits-all'' testing measures only a fraction of what makes education meaningful and
that focusing on tests ''narrows the curriculum''. They argue that too much time is spent on monotonous
test preparation at the expense of the broader curriculum or creative, engaging activities. Many say that
standardised tests value rote learning over deeper understanding; merely teach students how to pass
tests without learning anything, and in the case of testing for future outcomes, encourage cheating. They
say children should not be judged on the results of narrow tests that value certain competencies while
ignoring others.

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Others are concerned by the stress and anxiety many students feel about testing and argue that we should
find alternative evaluation methods. They cite countries such as Finland, a nation that consistently rates
highly in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) despite no official standardised testing.
On the other hand, China, with its long tradition of standardised testing, and high PISA ranking.
Interestingly, however, China has recently made some educational reforms that include a reduced
emphasis on standardised testing.

Glossary
Interpreted To explain the meaning of something.
Accountable Responsible for the effects of your actions and willing to explain or be criticized for
them.
One-size-fits-all Suitable for every situation, often with the result that it is not successful.
Monotonous Boring because of always being the same.
Rote learning Learning or memorization by repetition, often without an understanding of the
reasoning or relationships involved in the material that is learned.
Competencies To have a certain set of skills

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Text 2
Examining Standardised Testing.

Derrick Meador (2017).

Like many issues in public education, standardised testing can be a controversial topic among parents
and teachers. Many people say standardised testing provides an accurate measurement of student
performance and teacher effectiveness. Others say such a one-size-fits-all approach to assessing
academic achievement can be inflexible or even biased.

Supporters of standardised testing say that it is the best means of comparing data from a diverse
population, allowing educators to digest large amounts of information quickly.

Probably the greatest benefit of standardised testing is that educators and schools are responsible for
teaching students what they are required to know for these standardized tests. This is mostly because
these scores become public record, and teachers and schools that don’t perform well can come under
intense review. This scrutiny can lead to the loss of jobs. In some cases, a school can be closed.

Standardised testing is accompanied by a set of established standards or an instructional framework to

guide classroom learning and test preparation. This approach creates standards to measure student
progress over time.

Standardised tests are often scored by computers or by people who do not directly know the student to
remove the chance that bias would affect the scoring. Tests are also developed by experts, and each
question undergoes an intense process to ensure its validity — that it properly assesses the content —
and its reliability, which means that the question tests consistently over time.

Opponents of standardised testing say educators have become too focused on scores and preparing for
these exams. Some of the most common arguments against testing are as follows:

Some students may excel in the classroom yet not perform well on a standardised test because they're
unfamiliar with the format or develop test anxiety. Family problems, mental and physical health issues, and
language barriers can all affect a student's test score. But standardised tests don't allow personal factors to
be taken into consideration.

Standardised testing causes many teachers to teach to the tests, meaning they only spend instructional
time on material that will appear on the test. Opponents say this practice lacks creativity and can limit a
student’s overall learning potential.

Standardised testing only evaluates one-time performance instead of a student's progress over time. Many
would argue that teacher and student performance should be evaluated on growth over the course of the
year instead of one single test.

Teachers and students alike feel test stress. For educators, poor student performance may result in a loss
of funding and teachers being fired. For students, a bad test score may mean missing out on admission to
the college of their choice or even being held back.

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Glossary
Controversial Causing a lot of disagreement, because many people have strong opinions about the
subject being discussed.
Biased An opinion about whether a person, group or idea is good or bad that influences how
you deal it it/them.
Scrutiny Careful and thorough examination of someone or something.
Validity The state or quality of being valid, sound, just and/or well-founded.

END OF EXAMINATION

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